Wire-cutting machine.



M. w. LEWIS. WIRE CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2?, 190B.

Patented Mar. 28, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fig. 1.

M. W. LEWIS.

WIRE CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1908. 988, 1 97. Patented Mar. 28, 1911.

3 BHEETS-SHBET 2.

N n 1 y 1 IIHHHHI u ga wenfo z 3513 61 Mom 1121 M. W. LEWIS. WIRECUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1908.

Patented Mar. 28, 1911.

3 SHEETS-8HEET 3.

Z M w .m m a MARVIN W. LEWIS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WIRE-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28,1911.

Application filed May 23, 1908. Serial No. 434,703.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARVIN W. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga, in the State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-CuttingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for cutting wire intodesired lengths for use in foundries or wherever it is necessary to cuta number of short pieces of uniform length from a coil of wire.

The invention consists in constructing a machine that may be easily andreadily adjusted to cut the desired length, that will engage and holdthe wire positively during the feeding and cutting operation, and thatwill be automatic in its action after suitable ad justments have beenmade.

The invention also consists in the various other new and novel featuresof construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine,embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the wire feedingmechanism in longitudinal section. Fig. 3 represents a sideelevation ofthe machine. Fig. 4 represents an end. elevation of the same. Fig. 5represents a transverse section of the wire feeding mechanism. Fig. 6 isa detail sectional view of the tension device. Fig. 7 is a detail viewshowing the feed regulating mechanism. Fig. 8 is a detail view showingthe clutch mechanism for the cutting device.

The machine comprises a frame 1 supported on standards 2 and havingslides 3 thereon for the moving parts. An extension 4 is secured to themachine proper which has a plurality vof rollers 5 whereby the wire maybe straightened prior to being fed to the machine. On the rear part ofthe frame is a tension device 6, which comprises a plunger 8 that isnormally pressed downward by a spring 9. The end of the plunger ispivoted to a cam lever 10 which permits the plunger to be raised againstthe tension of the spring. This device produces enough pressure on thewire to hold same normally against any movement, except underconsiderable pull.

The machine is operated through a driving wheel or pulley 11, mountedupon a shaft 12 rotatable in suitable bearings 13, provided in the frameof the machine. On the opposite end of the shaft'is a crank disk, 15,having a slide or slot 16 formed therein or se cured thereto. Aconnecting rod 17 is pivoted at one end to a stud or slide block 18 thatis movable in said slide and at its other end the rod reciprocates upona stationary shaft 19 secured to the frame. A pin or stud 20 is securedto and projects at right angles from the connecting rod and engages withand operates the feed mechanism. This feed mechanism reciprocates on theslides 3 provided in the frame of the machine and comprises a movablemember 21 and a stationary member 22. The movable member rests upon twocam levers, or arms 24, which are pivoted as at 25 and are actuated by acam or lever plate 26 that is slotted at its lower end to engage with.the pin 20. The stationary member 21 is secured and held in position byscrews or pins 27 and normally is held away from the movable member bysprings 28. The position of said stationary member with relation to themovable member and to the size or gage of the wire to be cut is adjustedby a thumb screw 29.

The cutting device is pivoted as at 30 to the frame and comprises aknife 31, ar-

ranged adjacent to an opening 32 for the passage of the wire, and alsocomprises a roller 33 mounted on the other end of the device 34. By anysuitable means, as a v spring 36, the roller is held in engagement witha cam 37 which is mounted upon the shaft 12, and is normally connectedthere with by-a clutch 38 seating in a recess 39 provided in the drivingwheel 11, so that the knife will be actuated at each revolution of theshaft. In order to prevent the knife from operation however, a bellcranklever 40 is pivoted as at 41 to the frame of the machine and isprovided with an arm 42 adapted to engage the clutch 38 and release samefrom the driving wheel. The other arm 43 of the lever is provided with acam surface 44 and is actuated by a spring 45 that is attached to theframe, and adapted to hold the arm 42 in the path of the clutch. Awiperor pin-wheel 46 is rotatably mounted upon the frame adjacent to the arm43 of the lever and is provided u on alternate arms with pins or studs47 a apted to engage with the cam surface 44. The wiper is rotated bymeans of an adjustable bolt 48 upon the driving wheel that is soconstructed that it may be withdrawn from the path of the wiper ifdesired. When the wiper is rorollers and then through the friction ortension device 6 which holds the wire against movement during the returnstroke of the feeding mechanism. The wire is then passed betweenthe jawsof the feeding mechanism and the slide block or the wrist pin 18 isadjusted in the slot or slide formed in the crank disk 15 according tothe length of the wire to be out. When the feeding mechanism starts onits forward or feeding stroke, the connecting rod and pin 20 actuate thecam plate 26 and thereby raise the movable member of the feed mechanisminto engagement with the wire. By properly adjusting the stationarymember through the means of a thumb screw 29, a very firm and positivehold or bite is obtained on the wire and it will be held positivelyagainst slipping during the feeding and cutting operations. The swell ofthe cam 37 which operates the cut-- tin knife is so arranged withrelation to the sli e .or slot on the crank disk 15 that the cuttingoperation will occur immediately upon the completion of the forward orfeeding stroke provided, of course, that the arm 42 of the lever is heldout of the path of the clutch 38. When the feeding mechanism begins itsbackward or return movement the cam plate 26 is automatically shiftedbackward, in the position shown in Fig. 2, by the pin or stud 20 andthus the movable member of the feeding mechanism is lowered and the wireis released and rests idly between the movable and the stationary jaws.The tension device 6 meanwhile holds the wire against any movement whichotherwise might be caused by the friction of the jaws of the feedingmechanism sliding alongl the wire u on their return stroke. In case,owever, t at the proper length of wire cannot be obtained merely byadjusting the slide block or wrist pin 18 in the slide in disk 15,

the movable bolt 48 is thrown into its operative position, as shown inFig. 1, whereby it will be caused to engage the pin-wheel or wi er 46 asthe driving wheel rotates. At eac alternate rotation of the drivingwheel the arm 42 of the lever will be arranged in the path of the clutch38 and will disengage .same from the recess 39 so that the cam will cometo a stop and ride idly upon the shaft. At the following revolution ofthe driving wheel, however, the wiper will be rotated so as to bringanarm having a pin or stud 47 thereon which will lift the arm 43 againstthe action of the spring 45 and thus remove the arm 42 from the path ofthe clutch. Consequently the clutch, under the influence of any suitablemeans, as a spring 49, will engage in the recess 39 when such recesscomes opposite the same whereby the cam will be again rotated and theknife caused to operate. By this means any length or cut of'wire withinthe range of the adjustment of the slide block or wrist pin in the slotor slide provided on the crank disk 15 may be doubled. By' leaving oneof the pins or studs 47 in engagement with the arm 43 of the lever, theclutch will remain in engagement with the driving wheel and the knlfewill be operated at each revolution. On the other hand by arranging thewiper so that the pins 47 are out of engagement with the arm 43 of thelever the arm 42 will remain constantly in engagement with the clutchand the knife will not operate at all.

The machine is entirely automatic in its operation and requires noattention after preliminary adjustments have been made, but will operatecontinuously so long as wire is supplied thereto. The feeding mechanismis positive in its action andholds the wire firmly during the feedingand cutting opera- 7 tion. It is obvious, of course, that various partsof the machine may be omitted with a corresponding loss of function ifdesired and it is also obvious that various changes can be made in theconstruction of the several parts, but such changes are clearly withinthe skill of the mechanic and are included within the scope of myinvention, provided the means set forth in the following claims beemployed.

I cl aim as my invention:

1. In a wire cutting machine, the combination of a feeding mechanism, acutting device, means for normally actuating the cutting device at theend of each forward movement of the feeding mechanism, and

means for automaticallyreleasing said actuating means at the end of eachalternate forward movement of the feeding mechanism.

2. Ina wire cutting machine, the combination of a feeding mechanism, acutting device, a shaft having a cam loosely mounted thereon to actuatethe cutting device, and

a connectingrod between the shaft and the feeding mechanism to actuatesaid feeding mechanism.

3. In a wire cutting machine, the combination of a feeding mechanism andcutting device, means for regulating the movement ofthe feedingmechanism, and a rotatable shaft having means loosely mounted thereonengaging with the cutting device to actuate the same.

4. In a wire cutting machine, the combination of feeding mechanism andmeans for reciprocating the same, of a tension device comprising aplunger pivoted to a cam lever yieldingly engaging the wire to hold thesame againstdisplacement during the return movement of the feedingmechanism.-

5. In a Wire cutting machine, the combination of a cutting device, meansfor feeding wire thereto, a rotatable shaft, a cam mounted loosely onsaid shaft and engaging the cutting device to operate the same, and aclutch between the cam and shaft.

6. In a wire cutting machine, the combination of a cutting device, meansfor feeding wire thereto, a cam detachably secured to the shaft foractuating said cutting device, and means for disengaging said cam duringalternate revolutions of the shaft.

7. In a wire cutting machine, a feeding mechanism comprising arelatively stationary jaw and a relatively movable jaw, means foradjusting the position of the relatively stationary jaw, and meanscomprising cam levers for forcing the relatively movable member towardthe relatively stationary member, substantially as described.

8. In a wire cutting machine, the combination of a feeding mechanism, acutting device, a driving shaft, a cam loosely mounted on said shaftoperatively connected with the cutting device, a clutch for engagingsaid cam and shaft, a crank disk on said shaft provided with aslot, aslide block adjustable in said slot, and a connecting rod secured tosaid slide block and to the feeding mechanism.

9. In a wire cutting machine, the combination of a knife, a cam mountedon the shaft for operating said knife, a clutch between the cam and theshaft, a lever adapted to release the cam from the shaft, a wiperprovided with a plurality of studs, and means to actuate said wiper tocause one of said studs to engage with the lever and hold the same outof engagement with the clutch on alternate rotations of the shaft,substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this sixth day of May A. D;1908.

.MARVIN IV. LEWIS.

Signed in the presence of- J. H. VAN DEWEES, J. E. OHADWIOK.

